


A Change of Heart

by LinaLuthor



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Byleth has some regrets, Drama & Romance, Edeleth, Edelgard and her trust issues, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Minor Spoilers, Reconciliation, Silver Snow Route, mostly Byleth realizes she screwed up five years ago, some battle action
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:28:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22641058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LinaLuthor/pseuds/LinaLuthor
Summary: Byleth has just woken up from five years slumbering. Meanwhile, Fódlan was engulfed in war and drasticaly changed (you guys know the drill). She goes to the Goddess Tower so as to fulfill a promise and finds a very angry Edelgard waiting. However, instead of fighting her, Byleth tries making amends to a decision she regretted making five years ago.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 10
Kudos: 184





	A Change of Heart

Byleth was careful on her way to Garreg Mach, most importantly to the Goddess Tower. She took her time noticing how things had changed within the five years she had been asleep. Houses near the monastery had burned down and only their skeletons remained to tell the tale. Trees had also suffered some damage, a few being uprooted and others just completely destroyed.

There was no one in the front gates of the monastery or even at the roads which led to it. Sure, that kind man who had found her drifting down the river had told her of such things, of how deserted Garreg Mach had become except for the thieves that still tried doing some plundering on the Church’s valuables.

It was a totally different matter to see that he hadn’t been wrong. As she gingerly stepped around ruins of what once had been the entrance hall, her chest panged at the absence of sounds, of excited students running and yelling, daring one another to go faster to the training grounds.

She missed her own pupils as well, the little ones from the Black Eagles she had grown to adore in the brief time they had spent together. She wondered what had happened to them and if anyone would remember the promise they had made to meet at the Goddess Tower for the millennium festival.

Only of course, there were no festivities taking place. The war had taken over and wiped away any possibilities of joy, at least for the time being. Yet, a five-year-long conflict was a tough thing to imagine; tougher than trying to figure out how she had been able to sleep through it and not die in the process.

Her mind was still fussy but she was beginning to remember more and more of the last few days before her slumber. More than anything she remembered _her._ Her favorite student, star pupil and the one who had started the whole thing.

What had she been thinking, to declare war upon the church itself, the greatest foundation of Fódlan’s culture?

Byleth wished that she had been able to understand her student a little bit better. She wished that she had paid more attention to her mannerisms, her words, their conversations… everything, really. She unconsciously blamed herself for all that had happened after the attack on the Holy Tomb, though she knew anyone would tell her to not take this to heart.

Even though, due to that little stunt and the battle afterward, Rhea had been injured and apparently gone missing. Oh, the way the archbishop had looked at Edelgard back then. The hatred, the sheer loathing in her eyes… and that single, somewhat simple request she had made, for the professor to kill her own student.

That had been a little bizarre, right? So yes, Byleth had hesitated and that had been enough for the young Emperor to run away. And yes, the professor had decided to stay and protect Rhea after it, but still. Wasn’t there any other way? She hadn’t felt like hurting her pupil, a sensation that remained to that day.

With her thoughts in better order than before, Byleth sighed and started ascending the Goddess Tower. There was no use in dwelling on the past like that, especially if all of that had happened five years ago. All she could do was fulfill her promise and then…

And then what? She would have to see where destiny led her.

‘What a fool I was to come here and think that she would show up.’

These words interrupted the professor’s thoughts and made her halt in the stairs, then proceed with the softest of steps. She would have recognized that voice anywhere in the world.

‘Plus, I know I am not welcome in their midst. Maybe one of them would even try to kill me, seeing me here. But alas, it was not for them that I came, was it?’

Byleth had half a mind to stop altogether and listen to that monologue, but she also knew it would change nothing if she did so. The time for staying idle was long gone; she had to act before someone else got there.

Thus she climbed the last steps and let herself take in the scene for a few seconds. There she was, her student, the one she had been ordered to kill. Yet… was it really her?

Edelgard looked every bit as regal and as an Emperor as one could imagine. She had grown a few inches taller since their last encounter and had ditched her black uniform for a red gown and cape that trailed all the way down to her black boots. There was a golden crown on her head and a glittering sword protruded from her belt, its hilt shaped like a flower.

Her face had lost that childlike innocence and her irises looked like two frozen violets, set and chilly. She flinched when she saw Byleth on her peripheral vision and turned around so as to fully face the professor, eyes wide in surprise.

They paced silently toward one another, holding each other’s eyes. There was no threat to the moment, only a weird stillness to the air as if the Tower itself was listening and waiting on what would happen.

It was Byleth who broke the silence once they were standing face to face. ‘Edelgard, I…’

‘You are alive after all.’ The younger woman exclaimed, astonished. For a minute she thought she was seeing a ghost. ‘What – what happened? Search parties were sent for you, yet no one was able to find even a trace of your whereabouts.’

‘I don’t know for sure.’ The professor shook her head, well aware that whatever she said could change the outcome of that situation. ‘I was asleep, but that’s all I can remember.’

‘Asleep, for five years?’ Edelgard pondered, stance guarded. ‘That’s very questionable, but if you don’t wish to say anything I won’t push the matter.’

Byleth mentally cursed; it was clear that things would probably go downhill from there. But then, what reason did the woman have to believe her? Byleth had indeed sided with the Church before her slumber, a choice that she wasn’t really sure she should have made.

‘Have you seen any of the others?’ The professor inquired as a way of changing the subject, while she tried to come up with a strategy so as to salvage… salvage what, exactly? Herself?

‘They have shunned me, just as you have.’ There was no denying the bitterness which punctuated her words. ‘And now here you are, out to spite me in my loneliness.’

‘It is nothing of the sorts, Edelgard.’ Byleth sadly protested, trying her best to not reach out and touch the woman right in front of her. ‘Please listen, I – ‘

‘No, the time for listening is long gone. Whether you have been _sleeping_ or not, you are well aware that we are at war. And if you are not on my side, then you are my enemy.’

After that she unsheathed her sword and went for a frontal attack. Byleth’s right hand touched the Sword of the Creator, yet she had no intentions to fight. Instead, she dodged the blow by taking a step back and decided to not take an offensive stance even if her life depended on it.

‘What are you waiting for, professor? Your reinforcements?’ Edelgard taunted, dashing and slashing again with full force. Byleth had to admit her technique had improved greatly, but thankfully she was able to foresee her attacks and retreat accordingly.

‘I will not spar with you.’ The professor said, dancing away from a blow that had been meant for her heart.

‘You are a fool, then.’ The Emperor shot back, using her momentum to try another attack.

That was when Byleth saw her chance, as the move left the Emperor’s guard wide open. She crouched so as to dodge, spun on her heels and rose again right in Edelgard’s chest, both hands gripping the younger woman’s wrist with enough strength to make her release the sword.

The Emperor tried aiming kicks and punches on Byleth’s way but they were too close for that to work and the professor did a good job of immobilizing the other woman.

‘There is no need for this, Edelgard. Stop.’ Byleth commanded until she did stop struggling.

‘Go on then, kill me just like you were ordered to do five years ago.’

‘I didn’t want to!’ The professor yelled, distressed for pretty much the first time in her life. ‘Nor do I want to, right now. Do you have any idea how much I regret not following you when you asked me to?’

‘So why didn’t you? Why didn’t you side with me and tell Rhea to go be all holy somewhere else?’ Edelgard inquired, taken aback by that display of emotion.

‘I didn’t agree to protect her either. If you remember correctly, I hesitated and let you go.’ She released the Emperor’s wrists, yet didn’t draw away from her. It was good to be that close and feel her body heat. ‘As for the following battle, well… I had no time to think it over. Rhea kept me close and made me biased.’

‘You expect me to believe that now you know better, after five years of slumbering?’ Edelgard shot back, also unable to pull away from the taller woman. There had always been a certain something between them, though she couldn’t actually name that strange energy that seemed to connect them. ‘That is preposterous of you.’

‘I am not asking you to trust me right away, but at least give me a chance to prove myself.’ The professor’s eyes were sad and downcast; a look the Emperor had only seen one other time during the year they had spent together.

‘And let it cost my life? No, I am sorry.’ Edelgard finally found in herself the courage to walk away. She turned, her cape whispering against the professor’s leg. ‘The next time we meet, one of us will no longer draw breath.’

She thought she had taken a few steps away from the older woman when she mumbled: ‘You have no idea how truly sorry I am.’

Thus she was surprised when a hand softly encased her forearm and a low, sad voice said: ‘Then don’t be sorry. Let’s stop this before we spend the rest of our lives regretting this moment. It doesn’t have to be like that.’

Edelgard turned around, her eyes pained and resolve faltering. She looked up at the woman she had grown to trust during her time in the monastery and tentatively settled her hands on both of her arms. ‘When you drew your sword and stood beside Rhea, that broke me to a degree that… I don’t want to go through that again, my teacher.’

‘I have never wanted to hurt you, my Eagle.’ She chuckled when her former pupil gasped at that name. ‘Nor have I ever completely trusted Rhea. Her motives always seemed so… off. Jeralt wasn’t a fan either and I can only wonder at the many secrets that she keeps.’ The professor explained, shrugging. ‘I am not a believer and have no reason to trust the church, or what they say is right or wrong.

‘One thing can I agree to, though. This system has doomed more than its fair share of souls with talks of crests and the way it discriminates between nobles and commoners because of them. I have heard and seen enough students suffering because of this.’

Then, she fell to one knee and grabbed both of Edelgard’s hands in one of hers. ‘For now on, your enemies are mine own. Let me prove to you that you can trust me. Please accept my allegiance, Lady of Hresvelg.’

The Emperor had no idea how to act. It was indeed foolish to give in to impulse, but what other choice did she have? Live a life filled with regret for not taking what had been offered right then and there? Wordlessly, she motioned for the woman to rise and, before she could stop herself, she leaned in so as to fully embrace her professor. ‘My teacher… Byleth. Please walk this path with me.’

The professor hugged her and caressed her upper back, melting into that moment and touch. It was as if the whole world had stopped existing except for the two of them – it was a strange and alien feeling, yet by no means an unpleasant one.

Byleth felt something stir within her chest and was surprised at the sudden urge that came over her. Obeying it, she dipped her head and planted a chaste kiss on Edelgard’s forehead, just below the gilded crown.

The Emperor sighed in bliss and pulled away enough so that she could glance at the older woman. There was an earnest smile playing on her lips as she placed her gloved hand on Byleth’s jaw so as to hold it in place and leaned in, kissing her teacher full on the lips.

They stood like that for many minutes, past conflicts and allegiances forgotten as they kissed, exploring each other’s lips and feelings. Byleth realized how much she had been longing for this, to the point that she remembered dreaming about such a moment during her long slumber. Edelgard was ecstatic to finally see one of her daydreams coming to life, although they were no longer student and teacher and a thousand other variables differed from her original fantasies. 

It seemed that finally, nothing would be able to break them apart. Not even the sound of chattering and footsteps echoing up the staircase made them stop kissing, as they were oblivious to the world in general. There was nothing but the two of them and that particular moment.

That is, until they heard a familiar voice nearby.

‘Oh my, now that is what I call a reunion.’

The two women flinched in surprise, breaking the kiss but still remaining with their arms around each other as they turned to face the one who had said that.

‘Oh no, please carry on. I didn’t mean to interrupt such a beautiful moment.’ Dorothea said with a playful smirk, tears in her eyes. ‘I am just so… so happy to see both of you here.’

‘And not fighting, to say the least!’ Linhardt exclaimed, both taken aback and merry at the scene he had walked into. ‘I never wanted to fight against either of you, so please do kiss and make up.’

‘You do look way better together than on opposite sides of a battlefield.’ Bernadetta commented, her cheeks blushing with both anxiety and embarrassment.

‘Dorothea, Bernie, Lin.’ Edelgard said, beaming as she partially let go of Byleth and stood holding her hand. Could her day get any better? ‘Does this mean you accept me back?’

‘Why, of course! We may not understand completely why you declared war upon the Church, but please do at least explain it to us.’ The songstress said. ‘Plus, we get our professor back! Even though you have more of her now I guess, Edie.’ She winked, making both women blush.

‘I will tell you everything.’ The Emperor agreed, then took a first step away from the Goddess Tower. ‘But first let’s meet with Hubert and the others so that I only have to say it once.’

As the others cheerfully agreed and started descending the stairs, Byleth held Edelgard back, then leaned into her ear and whispered. ‘Do you know what was the first thing I thought of when I woke up? You.’

‘You have some catching up to do then. You have been the first and last thing I have thought about every day for these last years.’ The Emperor whispered back, then gave the professor a swift peck on the lips.

The five of them walked into the night excitedly talking among themselves, making plans and gossiping about what they had been up to lately. They were certainly happier than they had ever been in those last five years, hearts filled with renewed hope for the endless possibilities to their future and to a different Fódlan.


End file.
